Pre-transcoding content items

ABSTRACT

A content management system pre-transcodes portions of content items provided for storage. When a content item is uploaded to the content management system for storage, the content management system stores the content item in an original format. The content management system transcodes a portion of the content item from the original format to a streaming format. The content management system stores the transcoded portion and makes the content item available for access. When a client device requests the content item from the content management system, the content management system first sends by streaming to the client device the stored transcoded portion in the streaming format. During the sending of the transcoded portion, the content management system transcodes a remainder of the content item that has not been transcoded to the streaming format. The content management system sends the transcoded remainder of the content item to the client device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of provisional application61/941,402, filed on Feb. 18, 2014, which is incorporated by referenceherein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Embodiments

The embodiments pertain in general to content management systems, andmore specifically to pre-transcoding portions of content items stored bya content management system.

2. Description of the Related Art

Content management systems enable users to access content items frommultiple client devices. A user provides content items, such as videosto a content management system for storage. At any point, the user oranother user with permission may request to access a stored content itemfrom the content management system. When such a request is made for acontent item that is adapted for streaming, the content managementsystem typically streams the content item to the user's client device sothat the client device can start playing the content item as it receivesdata segments of the content item. However, there is a delay betweenwhen the user requests the content item and when the content item startsplaying on the user's client device. Some of the factors that contributeto the delay include processing performed by the content managementsystem to be able to stream the content item and the amount of time ittakes data segments to travel from the content management system to theuser's client device. Waiting for the content item to start playing cancause the user to become frustrated and have an unsatisfactoryexperience.

BRIEF SUMMARY

A content management system pre-transcodes portions of content itemsprovided for storage. When a content item (e.g., a video or audio file)is uploaded to the content management system for storage, the contentmanagement system stores the content item in an original format, whichmay be, for example, the original format in which the item is received.The content management system also transcodes a portion of the contentitem from the original format to a streaming format. The length of thetranscoded portion is less than the total length of the content item.The content management system stores the transcoded portion and makesthe content item available for access.

When a client device requests the content item from the contentmanagement system, the content management system first sends bystreaming the stored transcoded portion in the streaming format to theclient device. During the sending of the transcoded portion, the contentmanagement system transcodes a remainder of the content item that hasnot been transcoded to the streaming format. The content managementsystem sends the transcoded remainder of the content item to the clientdevice.

Features and advantages described in this summary and the followingdetailed description are not all-inclusive. Many additional features andadvantages will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in viewof the drawings, specification, and claims hereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a content management system environmentaccording to one embodiment.

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate an interaction diagram of a process forpre-transcoding a portion of an uploaded content item according to oneembodiment.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate an interaction diagram of a process forstreaming a stored content item to a client device according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating the operations of the contentmanagement system in storing an uploaded content item and providing thecontent item to a requesting client device according to one embodiment.

The figures depict an embodiment for purposes of illustration only. Oneskilled in the art will readily recognize from the following descriptionthat alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustratedherein may be employed without departing from the principles describedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of content management system environment 100according to one embodiment. Environment 100 includes client devices102A, 102B, and 102C, and content management system 104 connected tonetwork 106. Although illustrated environment 100 only includes threeclient devices 102, other embodiments include additional client devices102 (e.g., thousands of client devices).

FIG. 1 and the other figures use like reference numerals to identifylike elements. A letter after a reference numeral, such as “102A,”indicates that the text refers specifically to the element having thatparticular reference numeral. A reference numeral in the text without afollowing letter, such as “102,” refers to any or all of the elements inthe figures bearing that reference numeral.

Network 106 enables communication among the entities connected to it. Inone embodiment, network 106 is the Internet and uses standardcommunications technologies and/or protocols. Thus, network 106 caninclude links using technologies such as Ethernet, 802.11, worldwideinteroperability for microwave access (WiMAX), 3G, Long Term Evolution(LTE), digital subscriber line (DSL), asynchronous transfer mode (ATM),InfiniBand, etc. Similarly, the networking protocols used on network 106can include multiprotocol label switching (MPLS), the transmissioncontrol protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP), the User Datagram Protocol(UDP), the hypertext transport protocol (HTTP), the simple mail transferprotocol (SMTP), the file transfer protocol (FTP), etc. The dataexchanged over the network 106 can be represented using technologiesand/or formats including the hypertext markup language (HTML), theextensible markup language (XML), etc. In addition, all or some of linkscan be encrypted using conventional encryption technologies such as thesecure sockets layer (SSL), transport layer security (TLS), virtualprivate networks (VPNs), Internet Protocol security (IPsec), etc. Inanother embodiment, the entities use custom and/or dedicated datacommunications technologies instead of, or in addition to, the onesdescribed above.

Each client device 102 is a computer system capable of communicatingwith content management system 104 via network 106. Client device 102may be, for example, a personal computer, a mobile phone, a tablet, apersonal digital assistant (PDA), or a television set-top box. Throughclient device 102 users of content management system 104 can send/uploadcontent items to content management system 104 for storage. A contentitem includes digital data, audio, video, images, documents, text, etc.Additionally, a content item can include a folder or other mechanism ofgrouping content items together with different behaviors, such ascollections of content items, playlists, albums, etc. Certain types ofcontent items are configured to be streamed, such as audio and videofiles. Streaming generally allows the receiving device, such as clientdevice 102, to output (“playback”) the content item before the entirecontents of the item are received.

Additionally, through client device 102 users can request to accesscontent items stored by content management system 104. A user canrequest to access a content item using, for example, a user interfaceprovided by content management system 104 or a link (e.g., a uniformresource locator) generated by system 104 for accessing the item. Whenclient device 102 sends a request to content management system 104 toaccess a content item, client device 102 loads a media player. The mediaplayer presents the requested content item as it is streamed by contentmanagement system 104 to client device 102.

Content management system 104 is a computer system that allows users toprovide content items for storage and allows users to access storedcontent items. Therefore, from client device 102 a user may, forexample, upload a content item to system 104 for storage and at a latertime the content item may be accessed from the same or a differentclient device 102 operated by the same or a different user.

Each user that registers with content management system 104 has anaccount with system 104. A registered user can upload content items tosystem 104 for association with his account. The user can organize theitems associated with his account into different folders. Further, theuser can allow/give permission to other users to access content itemsassociated with his account. To allow other users to access a contentitem, the user can share with the other users a share link that providesdirect access to the content item. The user can also share with otherusers a folder that includes multiple content items uploaded by the userto his account. The users with whom the folder was shared can access thecontent items included in the folder. Additionally, the users can uploadcontent items to include in the shared folder.

When a user requests to upload a content item for storage andassociation with an account, content management system 104 receives thecontent item from the user's client device 102. Content managementsystem 104 stores the item in an original format. In one embodiment, theoriginal format is a non-streaming format. In one embodiment, theoriginal format is the format in which client device 102 uploaded theitem to the system 104. Content management system 104 also determineswhether to transcode a portion of the received content item from theoriginal format to a streaming format prior to making the itemaccessible for access. Content management system 104 may determine, forexample, to transcode a portion of the item if the item has a totallength that is greater than a threshold (e.g., greater than 30 seconds).

A streaming format is a format that is appropriate for streaming theitem to client device 102 that requests the content item. A streamingformat may be, for example, .3gp, .3gpp, .3gpp2, .asf′, .avi, .aac, .dv,.flv, .m2t, .m4v, .mkv, .mov, .mp4, .mpg, .mpeg, .mts, .oggtheora, .ogv,.rm, .ts, .vob, .webm, .wmv, and H.264.

If content management system 104 determines to transcode a portion ofthe content item, content management system 104 selects the portion ofthe item to transcode (e.g., the first 30 seconds). System 104transcodes the selected portion from the original format to thestreaming format. Content management system 104 stores the transcodedportion. In one embodiment, the transcoded portion is less than thetotal length of the content item. For example, if the content item is avideo that has a total playback time of three minutes, contentmanagement system 104 may only transcode the first 45 seconds. Theprocess of transcoding prior to making a content item available foraccess is referred to as pre-transcoding herein. Additionally, asdescribed herein, the length of a portion or content item may refer, forexample, to its duration, playback time, or size (e.g., number ofbytes).

When client device 102 requests the stored content item from contentmanagement system 104, content management system 104 first sends bystreaming to client device 102 the portion of the item that has beenpre-transcoded. As content management system 104 streams thepre-transcoded portion, system 104 also transcodes from the originalformat to the streaming format the remainder of the content item thatwas not pre-transcoded. After sending the pre-transcoded portion, system104 streams the remainder of the content item in the streaming format.

Pre-transcoding a portion of the content item rather than the entirecontent item conserves storage space for content management system 104.Additionally, pre-transcoding prior to making the item available ratherthan after client device 102 requests the item, allows contentmanagement system 104 to quickly start streaming the item to device 102.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, content management system 104 includesmetadata server 108, block server 110, controller server 112,transcoding servers 114, cache 116, and storage layer 118. Those ofskill in the art will recognize that other embodiments of contentmanagement system 104 can have different and/or other components thanthe ones described here, and that the functionalities can be distributedamong the components in a different manner. While components of contentmanagement system 104 are described as separate computer servers, inother embodiments each of these servers may be implemented as a moduleof a single server.

Metadata server 108 processes requests received from client devices 102regarding content items and is one means for performing this function.In one embodiment, upon request from a user having an account withsystem 104, metadata server 108 provides a user interface to clientdevice 102 that allows the user to see different content itemsassociated with the user's account. In one embodiment, prior toproviding the user interface, metadata server 108 requires that the userprovide authentication information (e.g., a login and password)associated with the account.

Through the user interface, the user can request to upload new contentitems for storage and can request to access stored items associated withthe user's account. When the user requests to upload a content item forstorage, metadata server 108 receives from user's client device 102 thecontent item and metadata associated with the item. In one embodiment,the content item is received in an original format. In one embodiment,the metadata associated with the item includes one or more of thefollowing: the name of the content item, an indication as to one or moreaccounts with which the item should be associated, a folder in which theitem is to be included, and an indication as to the user that requestedthe upload.

Metadata server 108 forwards the content item and the metadata to blockserver 110 for storage in storage layer 118. Storage layer 118 storescontent items in the original format. Metadata server 108 additionallydetermines whether to pre-transcode a portion of the content item fromthe original format to a streaming format. In one embodiment, metadataserver 108 is set to pre-transcoding a portion of every content itemthat is uploaded.

In another embodiment, metadata server 108 determines whether topre-transcode based on one or more of the following factors: a type ofthe item (e.g., video, audio, etc), the total length of the item (e.g.,only items longer than a threshold length), internal codec format, sizeof the item (e.g., only items greater than a threshold size),characteristics of the uploading user (e.g., a type of account theuploading user has or the amount of usage of system 104 by the user),and whether the item includes media that is streamed to requestingclient device 102. As an example, metadata server 108 determines topre-transcode a portion of the content item if the uploading user has anupper-tier account for which a subscription fee is paid and the itemincludes video content. As another example, metadata server 108determines to pre-transcode if the file size of item is greater than athreshold size.

Based on the determination as to whether to pre-transcode a portion ofthe content item, metadata server 108 updates an item table. The itemtable includes an identifier for each content item that has beenuploaded to system 104 for storage, an indication as to whether thecontent item has been pre-transcoded, and which portion has beenpre-transcoded if applicable. If a determination is made not topre-transcode the uploaded content item, metadata server 108 updates theitem table to indicate that the item has not been pre-transcoded.

On the other hand, if metadata server 108 determines to pre-transcode aportion of the item, metadata server 108 determines which portion of theitem to pre-transcode. In one embodiment, the determined portion is lessthan the total length of the content item (i.e., the determined portiondoes not include the entire content item). In another embodiment, thedetermined portion may include the entire content item.

In one embodiment, metadata server 108 determines to pre-transcode afixed portion of the content item set by a system administrator. Forexample, for each content item that is to be pre-transcoded, metadataserver 108 determines to pre-transcode the first 30 seconds. As anotherexample, metadata server 108 determines to pre-transcode 30% of eachcontent item that is to be transcoded.

In another embodiment, metadata server 108 determines the portion of thecontent item to pre-transcode based on a determined sample time. Thesample time is determined by metadata server 108 based on one or more ofthe following factors: an estimated amount of time it would take totranscode a sample segment of the item of a specific size, an estimatedsending time of the segment from system 104 to client device 102, and anestimated amount of time it would take an average client device 102 tostart playback of the segment once it is received by device 102. In oneembodiment, the portion of the content item that is pre-transcoded isequal to the sample time multiplied by a factor. For example, if thesample time is one second and the factor is 10, metadata server 108determines to transcode the first 10 seconds of the content item.

Metadata server 108 sends a request to controller server 112 to select atranscoding server 114 and to have it pre-transcode the determinedportion of the content item from the original format to the streamingformat and to store it in cache 116. The cache 116 stores pre-transcodedportions of content items. Metadata server 108 receives a notificationfrom selected transcoding server 114 once the determined portion hasbeen pre-transcoded and stored in cache 116. When metadata server 108receives the notification, metadata server 108 updates the item list toindicate that the content item has been pre-transcoded and which portionwas pre-transcoded.

In another embodiment, instead of metadata server 108 making thedetermination as to whether to pre-transcode a portion of the item whenthe item is uploaded, metadata server 108 waits to make thedetermination until one or more triggers are detected. The triggers mayinclude, for example, the user requesting a share link to share thecontent item with other users, the content item being included in ashared folder, or a folder in which the content item is included beingshared with other users. In another embodiment, metadata server 108determines whether to pre-transcode a portion of the item when the itemis uploaded. However, if a determination is made to pre-transcode,metadata server 108 waits for one or more of the triggers before sendingthe pre-transcoding request to controller server 112.

As described above, through the user interface provided by metadataserver 108 or through a link, a user can request to access a contentitem stored by content management system 104. When a user requests acontent item, metadata server 108 analyzes its item table to determinewhether a portion of the content item was pre-transcoded. If a portionof the content item was not pre-transcoded, metadata server 108 sends arequest to controller server 112 to select a transcoding server 114 totranscode the entire content item stored in storage layer 118 from itsoriginal format to the streaming format. If a portion of the contentitem was pre-transcoded, metadata server 108 determines which portionwas pre-transcoded. If the portion that was pre-transcoded has a lengththat is less than the total length of the item, metadata server 108sends a request to controller server 112 to select a transcoding server114 to transcode to the streaming format the remainder of the item thatwas not pre-transcoded. If the portion that was pre-transcoded is theentire content item, there is no need for metadata server 108 to requesttranscoding of the item from controller server 112.

Metadata server 108 generates a token that includes an identifier of thecontent item and a value indicating the portion/length of the contentitem that was pre-transcoded. In one embodiment, if the item was notpre-transcoded, the value is equal to zero in order to indicate that noportion of the item has been pre-transcoded. If metadata server 108requested that controller server 112 select a transcoding server 114 totranscode the entire item or a remaining non-transcoded portion,metadata server 108 also includes in the token an identifier associatedwith transcoding server 114 selected by controller server 112. Theidentifier of selected transcoding server 114 is received by metadataserver 108 from controller server 112.

Metadata server 108 sends the generated token to client device 102 usedby the user to request the content item. As described in more detailbelow, the token is used by client device 102 to request the contentitem from block server 110.

Block server 110 stores uploaded content items and sends segments ofrequested content items to client devices 102, and is one means forperforming this function. When a content item is uploaded by a clientdevice 102 for storage, block server 110 stores the content item instorage layer 118 along with the metadata provided with the item. Blockserver 110 stores the content item in storage 118 in the originalformat.

As described above, when a user requests a stored content item, metadataserver 108 provides a token to user's client device 102 that includes anidentifier of the content item, a value indicating a portion of thecontent item that was pre-transcoded, and if applicable an identifier ofa transcoding server 114 selected for transcoding. A media player loadedon client device 102 requests the content item from block server 110. Inthe request the media player includes the token provided by metadataserver 108. Based on the token, block server 110 determines whether aportion of the content item has been pre-transcoded to the streamingformat. If a portion has been pre-transcoded, block server 110 retrievesthe pre-transcoded portion from cache 116 (e.g., requests from cache 116a number of bytes that are pre-transcoded, according to the encodedvalue) and sends the pre-transcoded portion to the media player forpresentation.

If the token includes an identifier of a transcoding server 114 selectedto transcode the entire item or a remaining portion of the item, asselected transcoding server 114 transcodes segments of the content item,block server 110 obtains the segments from transcoding server 114 andprovides them to the media player. Through this process allsegments/portions of content item are streamed to the media player.

Controller server 112 is a load balancing server that selectstranscoding servers 114 for processing transcoding requests and is onemeans for performing this function. When controller server 112 receivesa request to transcode a portion of a content item from an originalformat to a streaming format, controller server 112 uses aload-balancing algorithm to select a transcoding server 114 from themultiple available transcoding servers 114. Transcoding server 114 isselected in a way that prevents any one transcoding server 114 frombecoming overloaded with transcoding requests. Controller server 112forwards to selected transcoding server 114 the request received frommetadata server 108.

Transcoding servers 114 are a group of load balanced computer serversthat transcode content items according to requests issued by metadataserver 108 and is one means for performing this function. Transcodingservers 114 transcode from an original format of content items to astreaming format.

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate an interaction diagram of a process forpre-transcoding a portion of an uploaded content item according to oneembodiment. The interaction diagram illustrates the steps performed by aclient device 102 (may also be referred to as the “uploading client”)and metadata server 108, block server 110, controller server 112 and atranscoding server 114 of content management system 104.

Starting with FIG. 2A, uploading client 102 sends 202 to metadata server108 a content item for storage by content management system 104. Contentitem is received by metadata server 108 in an original format. Metadataserver 108 forwards 204 the content item to block server 110. Blockserver 110 stores 206 the content item in storage layer 118 in theoriginal format. Metadata server 108 determines 208 to pre-transcode aportion of the content item from the original format to a streamingformat. Based on the determination, metadata server 108 selects 210 theportion of the content item to pre-transcode.

Metadata server 108 sends 212 a request to controller server 112 for theselected content item portion to be transcoded. Controller server 112selects 214 a transcoding server 114 to pre-transcode the selectedcontent item portion. Controller server 112 forwards 216 thepre-transcoding request to selected transcoding server 114.

Continuing with FIG. 2B, selected transcoding server 114 transcodes 218the selected content item portion from the original format to thestreaming format. Transcoding server 114 stores 220 the transcodedportion in cache 116. Transcoding server 114 additionally sends 222 anotification to the metadata server 108 indicating that the selectedportion has been pre-transcoded. Metadata server 108 updates 224 theitem table to indicate that the content item has been pre-transcoded andwhich portion has been pre-transcoded.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate an interaction diagram of a process forstreaming a stored content item to a client device 102 where a portionof the content item has been pre-transcoded. The interaction diagramillustrates the steps performed by client device 102 (may also bereferred to as the “requesting client”) and metadata server 108, blockserver 110, controller server 112 and a transcoding server 114 ofcontent management system 104.

Starting with FIG. 3A, requesting client 102 sends 302 a request for thecontent item to metadata server 108. Requesting client 102 may be thesame client device that uploaded the item for storage or a differentclient device operated by the same user that requested to upload theitem or by a different user having permission to access the item.Metadata server 108 determines 304 based on the item table that aportion of the requested content item has been pre-transcoded. Theportion that has been pre-transcoded has a length that is less than atotal length of the content item.

Metadata server 108 sends 306 a request to controller server 112 totranscode the remainder of the content item that was not pre-transcoded(i.e., transcode the remaining non-transcoded portion of the item).Controller server 112 selects 308 a transcoding server 114 to transcodethe remainder of the content item. Controller server 112 forwards 310the transcoding request to selected transcoding server 114. Controllerserver 112 additionally sends 312 an identifier associated with selectedtranscoding server 114 to metadata server 108.

Continuing with FIG. 3B, metadata server 108 generates 314 a token tosend to requesting client 102. In the token metadata server 108 includesan identifier of the content item, a value indicating the portion of thecontent item that has been pre-transcoded, and the identifier oftranscoding server 114 selected to transcode the remainder of the item.Metadata server 108 sends 316 the generated token to requesting client102.

Requesting client 102 sends 318 to block server 110 a request for thecontent item using the token. In one embodiment, the request includesthe token. Based on the request, block server 110 first sends 320 torequesting client 102 the pre-transcoded portion of the content itemstored in cache 116. During the sending of the pre-transcoded portion,selected transcoding server 114 transcodes 322 the remainder of thecontent item stored in storage layer 118 that was not pre-transcoded.Transcoding server 114 transcodes the remaining non-transcoded portionfrom the original format to the streaming format. Transcoding server 114sends 324 the transcoded remaining portion of the content item to blockserver 110 which forwards 326 it to the requesting client 102. In oneembodiment, as transcoding server 114 transcodes segments of theremaining portion, transcoding server 114 provides the segments to blockserver 110 for immediate sending to requesting client 102.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart 400 illustrating the operations of contentmanagement system 104 in storing an uploaded content item and providingthe content item to requesting client device 102. Content managementsystem 104 receives 402 the content item from uploading client 102.System 104 stores 404 the content item in an original format.

System 104 determines 406 whether to pre-transcode a portion of thecontent item. If a determination is made not to pre-transcode a portionof the content item, the process skips to step 414. On the other hand,if system 104 determines to pre-transcode, system 104 selects 408 theportion of the content item to pre-transcode. System 104 transcodes 410the selected portion of the content item from the original format to astreaming format. System 104 stores 412 the pre-transcoded portion ofthe content item.

When system 104 receives 414 a request for the stored content item froma requesting client 102, determines 416 whether a portion of the contentitem has been pre-transcoded. If a portion of the content item has beenpre-transcoded, system 104 sends 418 the pre-transcoded portion of thecontent item to requesting client 102. During the sending, system 104additionally transcodes 420 a remaining portion of the content item thatwas not pre-transcoded. The remaining portion is transcoded from theoriginal format to the streaming format. System 104 sends 422 torequesting client 102 the transcoded remaining portion in the streamingformat.

On the other hand, if a determination is made that a portion of thecontent item has not been pre-transcoded, system 104 transcodes 424 theentire content item from the original format to the streaming format.System 104 sends 426 the transcoded content item in the streaming formatto requesting client 102.

Those of skill in the art will recognize that other embodiments canperform the steps described above for FIGS. 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, and 4 indifferent order. Moreover, other embodiments can include differentand/or additional steps that the ones described.

Additional Considerations

The foregoing described embodiments have been presented for the purposeof illustration; they are not intended to be exhaustive or to limitingto the precise forms disclosed. Persons skilled in the relevant art canappreciate that many modifications and variations are possible in lightof the above disclosure.

Some portions of this description describe the embodiments in terms ofalgorithms and symbolic representations of operations on information.These algorithmic descriptions and representations are commonly used bythose skilled in the data processing arts to convey the substance oftheir work effectively to others skilled in the art. These operations,while described functionally, computationally, or logically, areunderstood to be implemented by computer programs or equivalentelectrical circuits, microcode, or the like. Furthermore, describedmodules may be embodied in software, firmware, hardware, or anycombinations thereof.

Any of the steps, operations, or processes described herein may beperformed or implemented with one or more hardware or software modules,alone or in combination with other devices. In one embodiment, asoftware module is implemented with a computer program productcomprising a computer-readable medium containing computer program code,which can be executed by a computer processor for performing any or allof the steps, operations, or processes described.

Embodiments of the invention may also relate to an apparatus forperforming the operations herein. This apparatus may be speciallyconstructed for the required purposes, and/or it may include one or moregeneral-purpose computing devices selectively activated or reconfiguredby one or more stored computer programs. A computer program may bestored in a non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium,or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions, whichmay be coupled to a computer system bus. Furthermore, any computingsystems referred to in the specification may include a single processoror may be architectures employing multiple processor designs forincreased computing capability.

Described embodiments may also relate to a product that is produced by acomputing process described herein. Such a product may includeinformation resulting from a computing process, where the information isstored on a non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage mediumand may include any embodiment of a computer program product or otherdata combination described herein.

Finally, the language used in the specification has been principallyselected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not havebeen selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter.It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited notby this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on anapplication based hereon. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodimentsof the invention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, ofthe scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:selecting, by a content management system, a first portion of a contentitem to transcode from a first format to a second format, wherein thefirst format is a non-streaming format and the second format is astreaming format; transcoding the selected first portion of the contentitem from the first format to the second format; storing the transcodedfirst portion of the content item in the second format; storing a secondportion of the content item in the first format; and making the contentitem available by the content management system for access by one ormore client devices.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein a length of theselected first portion is less than a total length of the content item.3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: responsive to a userrequesting from a receiving client device that the content item bepresented: sending the transcoded first portion of the content item inthe second format to the receiving client device; while sending thetranscoded first portion, transcoding the stored second portion of thecontent item from the first format to the second format; and sending thetranscoded second portion of the content item in the second format tothe receiving client device.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the firstportion of the content item is selected for transcoding responsive tothe content item being configured for streaming.
 5. The method of claim1, wherein the first portion of the content item is selected fortranscoding responsive to a total length of the content item beinggreater than a threshold length.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein thefirst portion of the content item is selected for transcoding responsiveto a size of the content item being greater than a threshold size. 7.The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the content item isselected based on an estimated amount of time required to transcode asample segment of the content item from the first format to the secondformat.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion of thecontent item is selected based on an estimated sending time of a samplesegment of the content item in the second format from the contentmanagement system to a client device.
 9. The method of claim 1, whereinthe first portion of the content item is selected based on an estimatedtime required to start playback of a sample segment of the content itemin the second format by a client device.
 10. The method of claim 1,further comprising: receiving the content item by the content managementsystem in the first format from an uploading client device.
 11. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the first portion is transcoded responsive toa user requesting a share link to share the content item with one ormore additional users, the share link providing access to the contentitem using the content management system.
 12. The method of claim 1,wherein the first portion is transcoded responsive to a user sharing thecontent item with one or more additional users.
 13. Acomputer-implemented method, comprising: selecting, by a contentmanagement system, a first portion of a content item to transcode from afirst format to a second format, wherein the first format is anon-streaming format and the second format is a streaming format;transcoding the selected first portion of the content item from thefirst format to the second format; storing the transcoded first portionof the content item in the second format; storing a second portion ofthe content item in the first format; and responsive to a userrequesting from a receiving client device that the content item bepresented: sending the transcoded first portion of the content item inthe second format to the receiving client device; while sending thetranscoded first portion, transcoding the stored second portion of thecontent item from the first format to the second format; and sending thetranscoded second portion of the content item in the second format tothe receiving client device.
 14. A non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium having executable computer program instructions forperforming operations comprising: selecting, by a content managementsystem, a first portion of a content item to transcode from a firstformat to a second format, wherein the first format is a non-streamingformat and the second format is a streaming format; transcoding theselected first portion of the content item from the first format to thesecond format; storing the transcoded first portion of the content itemin the second format; storing a second portion of the content item inthe first format; and making the content item available for access byone or more client devices.
 15. The computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 14, wherein a length of the selected first portion is less than atotal length of the content item.
 16. The computer-readable storagemedium of claim 14, further comprising: responsive to a user requestingfrom a receiving client device that the content item be presented:sending the transcoded first portion of the content item in the secondformat to the receiving client device; while sending the transcodedfirst portion, transcoding the stored second portion of the content itemfrom the first format to the second format; and sending the transcodedsecond portion of the content item in the second format to the receivingclient device.
 17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14,wherein the first portion of the content item is selected fortranscoding responsive to the content item being configured forstreaming.
 18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, whereinthe first portion of the content item is selected for transcodingresponsive to a total length of the content item being greater than athreshold length.
 19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14,wherein the first portion of the content item is selected based on anestimated amount of time required to transcode a sample segment of thecontent item from the first format to the second format.
 20. Thecomputer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the first portionof the content item is selected based on an estimated sending time of asample segment of the content item in the second format from the contentmanagement system to a client device.